Slide switch actuator



F 1970 w. L. 5.15m 51' AL 3,493,706

I SLIDE SWITCH ACTUATOR Filed June 19, 1968 .K WWW mfiw a wing n ma A nK Mg E YR W A R United States Patent 3,493,706 SLIDE SWITCH ACTUATORWalter L. Cherry, Raymond G. Castle, and Fred N.

U.S. Cl. 200-166 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A slidableswitching carrier having internal reinforcing structural memberssupporting a spring conducting member which maintains constant contactpressure upon printed circuit strips during its movement thereover bythe carrier, and which structural member eliminates unwanted deflectionand resulting opposing forces between the carrier and spring memberduring its circuit making movement; the printed circuit strips beingseparated by relief islands of a predetermined size and spaced from eachother a distance equal to the area of the contacting portion of thespring conducting member, preventing it from bearing upon the baseboardand becoming contaminated with material therefrom.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A housing for a switch spring conducting memberslidable over a supporting rail having indexing and tension meansthereon for maintaining constant contact pressure of the springconducting member onto a printed circuit board. The housing providing aninternal connecting rib which projects into a center receptacle formedin the spring member for sliding the same over the circuit board in apredetermined plane and position, to eliminate unwanted forces anddeflection of the spring member during its actuation.

This slidable switching carrier is an improvement over the assigneesU.S. Letters Patent No. 3,205,319 dated Sept. 7, 1965, and classified inClass 200, Subclass 16.

The improvement consists in the novel combination arrangement of partsto be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings showing a form of construction in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of certain parts of the invention in theirassembled relation,

FIG. 2 is a side elevational detailed view showing the invention in anassembled relation,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the spring conducting member as employedin the invention,

FIG. 4 is an end elevational view of the spring conducting member,

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the slidable switch carrier shown in anangular position to expose a portion of the internal constructionthereof,

FIG. 6 is a side elevational detailed view of the slidable switchcarrier,

FIG. 7 is an end elevational view of a modified switch carrier, and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a fully assembled switch module.

The invention to be hereinafter described is incorporated in a switchmodule 10, which includes a baseboard 11 and cover 12, as seen in FIG.8.

Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown a baseboard 11 having printed on oneface thereof a plurality of current conducting strips 13. Each of thesestrips extend in a spaced parallel relation, and have formedtherebetween nonconducting relief islands 14. At one side of one of theendmost strips 13 there is printed a nonconductive base position unit15. The purpose and function of the current conducting strips 13, reliefislands 14 and base position units 15 will be hereinafter more fullydescribed.

Each slide switch includes a current conducting rail 16, which is formedto comprise an upper bar member 17, which has a lower edge corrugated toprovide indexing members 18, and a lower bar 19 extending transverselyof and in an elevated position with respect to the conducting strips 13,relief islands 14, and base position units 15. The rail 16 is providedat opposite ends with a terminal leg 20 and a connecting post 21, whichare adapted to be projected through slots 22 formed in the baseboard 11to either side of the printed circuit program carried thereby. Both theterminal 20 and post 21 are provided with laterally extending lockingshoulders 23, which are twisted out of communication with the slots 22after the respective terminal and post are projected therethrough so asto connect the rail 16 in its predetermined position with respect to thebaseboard 11.

A slidable switch carrier 24 is mounted on the rail 16. As seen in FIGS.1 and 2 the rail 16 is provided with an elongated slot 16' whichreceives a stud pin 24' pressfitted in an opening 25' formed in a hollowhousing 25 provided by the switch carrier 24. The hollow housing 25 hasan open bottom and its end walls slotted as at 26 so that when thecarrier 24 is mounted on the rail 16 it will straddle the same as seenin FIGS. 1 and 2. Within the hollow housing 25 and carried by the innerconfronting faces of the sidewalls 27 and 28 thereof are spaced apartconnecting ribs 29. As seen in FIG. 2, the upper bar 17 and lower bar 19will be projected through the end slots 26 formed in the housing 25, andextend between the connecting ribs 29.

A spring contacting member 30 is contained within each of the slidecarriers 24. This spring contacting member 30 is generally V-shaped soas to provide arms 31 and 32, the free end of which are curved in adownwardly and outwardly direction so as to form curved bearing ends 33.

The vertex of the V-shaped spring member 30 is formed into asubstantially squared receptacle 34, providing an enlarged bottomcontacting portion 35. As seen in FIG. 3 a part of the arms 31 and 32 aswell as the squared receptacle 34 is bifurcated by a slot 36.

The spring contacting member 30 is positioned upon the currentconducting rail 16 by having the bar 19 extended through the slot 36formed in the arms 31 and 32 and receptacle 34 as seen in FIG. 1. Whenthe rail 16 is connected to the baseboard 11 the contacting portion 35will be in contact with either the current conducting strips 13, or therelief islands 14, or the base position units 15, while the bearing ends33 of the arms 31 and 32 will engage in the indexing members 18 providedby the lower edge of the upper bar member 17. Because the spacingbetween the baseboard 11 and the indexing means 18 is less than thenormal length of the arms 31 and 32, they will be biased in oppositedirections with their respective bearing ends 33 yieldably engaging theindexing means-18 as seen in FIG. 2. Thus the spring contacting member30 is yieldably connected between the baseboard 11 and the indexingmeans 18 is provided by the current conducting rail 16 as is clearlyshown in FIG. 2. The carrier 24 is then placed over the rail 16 with theinternal connecting ribs 29 provided thereby, insertable into the squarereceptacle 34 formed at the vertex of the arms 31 and 32 of the springcontacting member 30 in such a manner that when the carrier 24 isslidably moved over the rail 16, the moving force thereof will betransmitted through the internal contacting ribs 29 onto the springconducting member 30 at a point in close proximity 3 to its contact withthe printed circuit strips 13 on the baseboard 11, thus eliminatingunwanted deflection of the arms 31 and 32 as well as distorting forcesof the arms and their bearing ends 33 onto the indexing means 18.

The length of the bottom contacting portion 35 of the spring member 30,which by the way is dimpled so as to present a smooth contact surface,is such that as it is moved over the baseboard 11 it will span the spacebetween the printed circuit strip 13 and the relief islands 14, so thatthe dimpled surface never forcibly contacts the baseboard 11, thuseleminating contamination of either the printed circuit strips 13 or thecontact surface of the spring conducting member 30 during its switchingactuation.

While we have illustrated and described the preferred form ofconstruction for carrying our invention into effect, this is capable ofvariation and modification without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is:

1. An actuator for a slide switch having a baseboard of insulatedmaterial, including on one face thereof a plurality of spaced parallellyextending current conductor strips, a current conducting rail membermounted on the baseboard above and extending transversely to theconductor strips, wherein the improvement comprises:

(a) a partially split hollow switch carrier mounted on the rail andmovable thereover above and transversely to the conductor strips on thebaseboard,

(b) a switching member within said carrier and movable therewith andhaving a contact portion beneath the rail engageable with the conductorstrips,

(c) means on said switching member yieldably bearing upon a part of therail for tensioning said contact portion of said switching member awayfrom the rail and against the conductor strips on the baseboard ((1)means provided by said carrier in contact with said contact portion ofsaid switching member for coupling said switching member thereto formovement over the baseboard independently of the constant contactpressure of said contact portion against the conductor strips,

(e) and non-conductive means on said baseboard extending between andparallel to the conductor strips and of a size less than the spacingbetween said strips but greater than the spacing between said means andits juxtaposed strips for supporting said contact portion of saidswitching members off said baseboard as it is moved by said carrierthereover.

2. An actuator for a slide switch as defined by claim 1 wherein saidswitching member is substantially V-shaped, and includes a vertex pointthat is substantially squared to provide an enlarged contact portionbearing upon said current conductor strips and said non-conductive meansas provided by said baseboard.

3. An actuator for a slide switch as defined by claim 1 wherein saidmeans provided by said carrier comprises internal connecting ribscarried by the confronting inner wall surfaces of the side walls of thecarrier which are of a size to be projected into said contact portion ofsaid switching member so as to exert movable forces thereto as saidcarrier is slidably moved on the current conducting rail member.

4. An actuator for a slide switch as defined by claim 2 wherein saidmeans provided by said carrier comprises internal connecting ribscarried by the confronting inner wall surfaces of the split side wallsof the carrier which are of a size to be projected into said squaredvertex point of said contact portion of said switching member so as toexert movable forces thereto as said carrier is slidably moved on thecurrent conducting rail member.

5. An actuator for a slide switch as defined by claim 1 wherein saidnon-conductive means comprise printed relief islands of the samematerial as comprises the current conductor strips of said switch memberas it moves from one current conductor strip to another to prevent saidcontact portion from bearing upon the baseboard and becomingcontaminated with the material therefrom under the tension of said meanswhich yieldably bear upon a portion of the rail when said switchingmember is slidably moved thereover.

6. An actuator for a slide switch as set forth in claim 5 and furtherdefining said means provided by said carrier in contact with saidswitching member as comprising internal connecting ribs carried byconfronting inner wall surfaces of the side walls of the carrier, whichare of a size to be projected into said contact portion of saidswitching member so as to exert movable forces thereto as said carrieris slidably moved on the current conducting rail member.

7. An actuator for a slide switch as set forth in claim 5 and furtherdefining said switching member as being substantially V-shaped andincluding a vertex joint that is substantially squared to provide anenlarged contact portion bearing upon said current conductor strips andsaid non-conductive means as provided by said baseboard.

8. An actuator for a slide switch as set forth in claim 7, and furtherdefining said means provided by said carrier as comprising internalconnecting ribs carried by confronting inner wall surfaces of the sidewalls of the carrier which are of a size to be projected into saidsquared enlarged contact portion of said switching member so as to exertmovable forces thereto as said carrier is slidably moved on the currentconducting rail member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,146,320 8/1964 Wang et a1 20016X 3,205,319 9/1965 Anderson et al 200-l6 3,308,250 3/1967 Field et al200-46 HERMAN O. JONES, Primary Examiner US. l. 12, 20 6

